How Much Is My iPhone Worth? - iPhone 8 Lost Least Value In 6 Months

Is the iPhone actually a good gadget investment? We explore data provided by a US trade-in company to visualize the top iPhone price trends over the past 6 months.

Over the weekend following the iPhone launch we received data from US-based iPhone trade-in company BankMyCell which documented the pricing trends which influence what we can get during the resale process. The focal point of the press release was the data behind iPhone depreciation, but here are the four core factors that influence the resale price of your old iPhone.

iPhone product launch events
Whether your iPhone is carrier unlocked
What the condition of your iPhone (new/used/damaged)
How you choose to sell your iPhone

How Quickly Does Your iPhone Lose Value

When you buy a new car and drive it out of the showroom it loses value straight away, so does your iPhone when you take it out the box. With cell phone technology leaping forward every year, it’s really easy for your device to become out of date in a short period of time.

Why Does My iPhone Lose Value?

Almost everything we own will depreciate in value over time, there are several fundamental reasons your iPhone will depreciate in value:

Your phone will no doubt have general wear and tear unless you protected it from the start with cases and screen protectors.
As technology moves forward, the value of your outdated phone will decrease in demand and the value of the technology it’s build around is worth less.
The battery will slowly reduce in capacity, meaning after charging every day for a year you may only get 60-70% of the charge it provided originally.
Software tends to slow down over time after frequent use.

Which iPhone Loses Value The Fastest?

So how much is your iPhone worth? According to an analysis done by American iPhone trade-in company BankMyCell, iPhone depreciation can range between 10%-21% over a 6 month period. In a recent press release, they provided the following data which shows the depreciation of the latest iPhone models over the past 6 months (essentially leading up to the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR announcement).

So What Are The Key Findings From Their Data?

iPhone X: Trade-in value depreciated 49% / $135 in 6 months
iPhone 8 Plus: Trade-in value depreciated 18% / $57 in 6 months
iPhone 8: Trade-in value depreciated 48% / $46 in 6 months
iPhone 7 Plus: Trade-in value depreciated 26% / $43 in 6 months
iPhone 7: Trade-in value depreciated 94% / $61 in 6 months
iPhone 6S Plus: Trade-in value depreciated 40% / $37 in 6 months
iPhone 6S: Trade-in value depreciated 93% / $45 in 6 months

BankMyCell CEO Ash Turner commented “As expected the most expensive iPhones lost the most monetary value and it’s not surprising with the iPhone X hitting the shelves with a $999 price tag. In fact, one thing that’s worth mentioning is the sales figures relating to the iPhone X, which was announced by Tim Cook in September 2017. The iPhone actually sold a lot less than previous models however that mammoth price tag saved the company on revenue.“

So Apple’s units shipped over the last year were down, but the revenue was up from this larger price tag – this year’s models are even more expensive, with the iPhone XR being priced higher than last year’s iPhone 8.

The company also did a comparison of the values you can get online by shopping around.

We’re unsure if this includes auction and store credit trade-ins but either way, it does show there can be quite a large difference in the value you can get quoted, for example, the iPhone 8’s lowest offer of $260 is $179 less than the top price you can achieve… which is huge!

BIT REBELS BONUS: Our readers can actually get a little more for their iPhone with a promo code provided by the company. If you enter ‘ELECTRONICS10’ at the site today you can earn 10% more on iPhone buyback values. For example, the iPhone X trade-in price goes up to $595, and using the code will get you $651.20 – they stated this offer is only valid until the end of September 2018.

NOTE: From looking around this was considerably more than the other trade-in websites, Apple’s trade-in service and Target/Best Buys store credit options. However, looking on eBay even with fees taken into consideration you can still get up to $40 more depending on your device. Selling yourself is the number one way to get the most even if you have to do a little more work with listing it, packing and shipping.

The rest of the iPhone’s losses over the 6 month period are actually a lot more considerate of your wallet. For example, the trade in price for an iPhone 8 / 8 Plus which launched last September only lost 10.18% and 9.48% respectively.

The iPhone 6S was the handset that took the largest hit on a percentage basis, dropping 20.93% in value over the past year. Looking at the numbers from an average perspective you can expect these newer models to lose around 14.53% over half a year period.

Apple Product Launch Events Trigger The Price Drops

The new iPhone’s were announced on September 12th, 2018 and it goes without saying that the hype machine that is Apple had the normal press frenzy surrounding it. BankMyCell’s release suggests that these product launch events are responsible for historic price drops in resale value.

BankMyCell CEO Ash Turner went on to say “The release of the new technology will cause your iPhone to lose value, but more so the simple supply and demand of the old iPhones in the resale/refurbishment market. If resellers receive too many iPhones in stock that they can’t repurpose straight away they carry a risk of losing money with depreciation as well. The price drop is a good way of managing their risk”

When looking at this data it’s clear to see the impact of the release on the iPhones trade-in value. The headline statistic that BankMyCell was pushing in their outreach was:

“iPhones can lose up to 20% of their trade-in value within the first few weeks of the release”

If you’re not after instant cash, you can go through a trade-in site and lock the quote for up to 30 days. Additionally, if you list your phone on eBay you will have a week or so for the whole sale and shipping to complete. Both of these options give you a little time to retain some value.

It’s also worth noting that if you’re going for the iPhone XR release then you should look to sell your device around the pre-order date of October 19th, 2018. This will give you plenty of time to get the iPhone XR on the launch date of Oct 26th and send off your old iPhone too.

What’s The Best iPhone For Value Retention

When examining the depreciation data it seems that the iPhone 8 was the device with the best price retention, only losing 9.48% in the past 6 months.

Below are the iPhone’s losing value in order of the good to bad price retention by percentage:

iPhone 8: Trade-in value depreciated 48% / $46 in 6 months
iPhone 8 Plus: Trade-in value depreciated 18% / $57 in 6 months
iPhone 7 Plus: Trade-in value depreciated 26% / $43 in 6 months
iPhone 6S Plus: Trade-in value depreciated 40% / $37 in 6 months
iPhone 7: Trade-in value depreciated 94% / $61 in 6 months
iPhone X: Trade-in value depreciated 49% / $135 in 6 months
iPhone 6S: Trade-in value depreciated 93% / $45 in 6 months

You should also look at getting your phone unlocked too, legally in the US carriers must unlock your phone after 1 year of service. Doing so can get you up to $108 more for your iPhone

Key Takeaways

From reviewing the data sent to us, this is the knowledge to take away with you for this iPhone launch and the rest going forward.

iPhones actually retain value really well until another Apple product launch.
You should sell your device at the same time you pre-order a new iPhone to get the best value, but make sure you compare prices first.
You can still sell last year’s iPhones for half the value of your new iPhone, great for offsetting the price of these flagship phones.
You get the most money from selling the iPhone yourself online e.g. eBay.
Using store trade-in options and Apple’s trade-in service typically resulted in much lower options at the time of this study.
Look after your phone with a case and screen protector, you will be able to sell it for more with no damage.
Unlocked phones get you more value for your phone, the data provided showed you can get up to $108 more. Carriers can unlock your phone after 1 year in the US.